True North Initiative: News Scan 06 27 17

TOP STORIES

Liberal government waiting for details on Trump's travel ban

The Trudeau government is waiting for more details after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday partially reinstated President Donald Trump’s ban on travellers from six mainly Muslim countries. But a spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said dual nationals from the affected countries travelling on their Canadian passports would not be subject to the restrictions. (Toronto Sun)

Thousands of illegal immigrants who fled to Canada in fear of Trump are trapped in legal limbo without jobs, permanent homes or schools for their kids

Thousands of people who fled to Canada to escape President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migrants have become trapped in legal limbo because of an overburdened refugee system, struggling to find work, permanent housing or enrol their children in schools. Refugee claims are taking longer to be completed than at any time in the past five years, according to previously unpublished Immigration and Refugee Board data provided to Reuters. (Daily Mail) (Reuters)

The federal government has launched a new centre tasked with preventing the radicalization of Canadian young people. A special adviser will be named in the coming months to oversee the local outreach and research projects funded through the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence. The centre will have dedicated staff, but will be located within the existing Public Safety Canada space. (Yahoo) (CBC)

Canada keeping mum as Iraqi Kurds prepare for independence referendum

As the federal government considers the future of Canada's military mission against Islamic State militants, there are growing concerns about a new battle brewing in Iraq. The feared new conflagration revolves around the question of Kurdish independence, which has been bubbling for years but appears ready to boil over. Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government announced earlier this month that after years of promising a referendum on independence, it would finally hold a vote on Sept. 25. (CTV)

Canada and China sign no-hacking agreement to protect trade secrets

Canada and China have agreed not to engage in state-sponsored hacking of each other’s trade secrets and business information. The two countries reached the agreement during a meeting last week that was part of their new high-level national security dialogue. “The two sides agreed that neither country’s government would conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors,” says a communique from the Prime Minister’s Office. The two sides also had “candid” discussions about a possible extradition treaty, said the statement — something China wants, but that Canada has said is a long way off. (Toronto Sun)

U.S. Supreme Court allows partial travel ban to take effect pending appeals in October

The Supreme Court is letting a limited version of U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries take effect, a victory for Trump in the biggest legal controversy of his young presidency. The justices will hear full arguments in October in the case, which has stirred heated emotions across the nation. In the meantime, the court said Monday that Trump's ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced as long if those visitors lack a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States." (CBC)

Pentagon to review contracts with Norsat after Chinese takeover

The U.S. defence department will review all its business dealings with Norsat International Inc. after the Vancouver-based satellite technology company closed a deal that will allow it to be swallowed up by a Chinese telecom giant. The Pentagon’s re-evaluation could have serious repercussions for Norsat and its new Chinese owner, Hytera Communications Corp. of Shenzhen, China. Norsat sells communications equipment to branches of the U.S. military and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (Globe and Mail)

White House: Syria could be preparing another chemical weapons attack

The White House has warned there are "potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack" by the Syrian regime and told the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, he would face a "heavy price" if one is carried out. The announcement comes amid rising tensions in Syria between the US-led coalition and Russia, which is backing the Assad regime. (CNN)

Dueling protests remain peaceful Friday night at City Hall (Calgary)

The site was originally given to the Al-Quds rally, a group demanding peace for the oppressed and protesting what they see as the “Zionist occupation” of Palestine. Quds is Arabic for Jerusalem and it’s typically held on the last day of Ramadan. A second group which involved members of the Jewish Defense League and the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam or WCAI Canada protested what they called a “hatefest” being allowed to take place on municipal property. (660) (Global)

After a CBC iTeam investigation revealed that a Saskatchewan business owner was offered cash in exchange for a job offer to a Chinese national, three other people have come forward to report similar experiences. Last week, CBC reported that Barb Reid, owner of a Fabricland in Prince Albert, had been approached by a representative of a Vancouver-based immigration consulting firm.) (CBC)

Legal aid for refugees in B.C. being cut Aug. 1

The Legal Services Society of B.C. will stop paying lawyers to represent refugees as of Aug. 1 because it has run out of money and has not received promised funding from Ottawa to deal with the fallout from a global humanitarian crisis. The non-profit legal aid organization handled 860 refugee contracts in 2016-17, compared to 350 in 2013-14, and it expects to accept around 1,400 of 1,900 applications this year. (National Post)

Refugee health clinic sees surge of uninsured pediatric patients

Mariam Tadesse felt weak and had a dry mouth for a week before staff at a Toronto refugee shelter found out and urged the 12-year-old girl’s father to take her to a doctor. The father and daughter, newly arrived for asylum from Eritrea, were hesitant to seek medical help because they were still waiting for their interim health care coverage from the federal government to kick in — a process that can take weeks. By the time Mariam was taken to the Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health, a community clinic in Scarborough for people without health care coverage, in early September, she was entering a coma. She suffered a diabetic attack and was immediately taken to a hospital, where she remained in intensive care for four days. (Toronto Star)

Canadian soldier from Etobicoke first female infantry officer to command Queen's Guard

A Canadian soldier from Etobicoke has made history as the first infantry female officer to command the Changing of the Guard ceremony at London’s Buckingham Palace. On Monday, Capt. Megan Couto, 24, led her unit, the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, as it participated in the ceremony, which is popular among tourists. "I am extremely honoured to have the privilege of commanding one of the five Queen's Guards here in the United Kingdom," Couto said Monday in a statement. "Celebrating Canada 150 as part of the Queen's Guard is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (Inside Toronto)

Shrapnel wound to the head killed Canadian man while fighting ISIS: autopsy report

Nazzareno Tassone, the Canadian killed while fighting the Islamic State in Syria six months ago was fatally struck in the head by shrapnel, the Ontario coroner’s office told his family on Monday. Tassone, 24, was buried in Niagara Falls, Ont. last week but the preliminary autopsy results released to his mother offer a new explanation of his death. (Global)

'It's absolutely going to be chaos,' lawyer says of new U.S. travel ban ruling

Lawyer Mark Doss says he expects more chaos at U.S. airports after the nation's top court gave a temporary green light to President Donald Trump's so-called "travel ban." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday it will allow a limited version of the ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries to take effect until the justices can hear full arguments in October (CBC)

Big win for Trump and his travel ban

Donald Trump just got his travel ban. At least, most of it... Although the Supreme Court left parts of the lower-court-ordered suspension of his travel ban intact, and agreed to consider the merits of the case in October, a considerable portion of it can now go into effect. (BBC)

Russia, upping pressure on Telegram app, says it was used to plot bombing

Russia's FSB security service said on Monday that terrorists had used the Telegram messaging app to carry out a deadly suicide bombing on Russian soil, increasing pressure on the app days after the authorities accused it of breaking data laws. Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor said on Friday it would block Telegram soon unless it handed over information needed to put the app on an official government list of information distributors. (Reuters)

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi vow to fight terror together

US President Donald Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi have met for the first time in Washington DC, vowing to fight terrorism together while issuing a warning to Pakistan. The two leaders, who hugged each other in front of reporters, also praised their countries' warm relations. They discussed increasing trade links and security co-operation. (BBC)

HK handover predictions: Golden geese and democracy 'infections'

In July 1997, more than 150 years of British rule came to an end in Hong Kong with its handover to China, a historic event viewed with a mixture of uncertainty and hope. We asked observers how their predictions turned out 20 years on. Would Hong Kong remain China's 'golden goose'? (BBC)

U.S. travel ban ruling leaves myriad questions unanswered

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to partially reinstate President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban has left the effort to keep some foreigners out of the United States in a murky middle ground, with unanswered questions and possibly more litigation ahead. The justices ruled Monday in an unsigned opinion they would hold a full hearing on the case in October. In the meantime, the administration can bar travellers from six majority-Muslim countries from the U.S. if they don't have a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship" with someone or some entity in the country. (CTV)

It’s been a year since President Obama threw down the gauntlet to Justin Trudeau in his speech to the House of Commons, repeating the slogan that “the world needs more Canada.” The Brexit vote was only a few days old. And the RNC convention confirming Donald Trump as the nominee was still to come. But Obama clearly knew the world was changing. The outgoing president used his visit to Ottawa to pass the torch to Trudeau, telling him he would bear great responsibilities after Obama left office, becoming the world’s new progressive-in-chief. (Toronto Sun)

While it is no doubt bile in the throats of progressives and the blinkered, U.S. President Donald Trump can claim victory with the Supreme Court’s decision Monday to allow his travel ban to go ahead. He got elected on protecting Americans from outside threats, and keeping the homeland safe from terrorism’s intrusion. Critics considered it flamboyant bluster, until he pulled the pin on it with an executive order. (Toronto Sun)

Toronto Sun: Of course populism on the rise in Canada

Canadian Press reveals the public believes there’s a “northern populism” movement growing in Canada. The elites predictably will react with fear and alarm to this story and inevitably try to convince regular Canadians into thinking that’s a bad thing. It's what they do every time their agenda is threatened. (Toronto Sun)

New York Times: Canada’s Secret to Resisting the West’s Populist Wave

As right-wing populism has roiled elections and upended politics across the West, there is one country where populists have largely failed to break through: Canada. The raw ingredients are present. A white ethnic majority that is losing its demographic dominance. A sharp rise in immigration that is changing culture and communities. News media and political personalities who bet big on white backlash. (New York Times)